I got this shadow quad free with a purchase of a Covergirl mascara. I thought I’d give this shadow a try. It really looks like Covergirl is trying to be “wild” and has launched some louder than normal colors. So here is my review of the quad 205 Tropical Fusion.

Colors swatches on hand

Tropical Fusion consists of four shimmery shades: royal blue, teal, salmon and a pale lime green. The colors are bright in the container but not so on the skin. The shadows feel like Covergirl shadows. They are kind of chalky and crumble easily. They aren’t horrible, they just aren’t great. The colors mixed together look horrible. It just isn’t “vibrant” enough and starts looking kind of chalk board-ish. The blue comes on pretty intense and looks great with NARS Rated R Eyeshadow Duo. The teal comes on nicely too. It looks great with MAC Bitter and any pearly white or silver shade. The salmon shade is pretty weak but it doesn’t look horrible on. It isn’t as bright as the compact would lead you to believe. It makes my blue eyes pop when I wear this shade in the crease with a nude matte shade or a pale shimmery white gold. It is very work week appropriate without being too boring. The pale lime green is very chalky and doesn’t really show up. I have to really layer it. It doesn’t look horrible as a base shade with lets say something like Urban Decay Mildew for a smoky eye. These shadows would really benefit from a base like Urban Decay Primer Potion or maybe foundation on the eyelids. But, this still doesn’t make them “vibrant”. The quad costs anywhere between $4 and $5 and coupons are usually available. It isn’t horrible. It just doesn’t work together and needs a lot of tweaking from other shadows for it to work. I’ll keep using it but most likely won’t buy again. It can be purchased at many mainstream stores and drugstore.com.